Question

My daughter is almost two and is not talking.

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My daughter is about to turn two and can only say maybe two words clearly. The rest is just baby babble. She can understand any question we ask like where's the dog or do you want to go to the park? She even knows to go and sit on the carpet when I say its time to put her shoes on. Her baby babble sounds like long sentences but its nothing clear. I try all the time to get her to say something or repeat words but she cant say a single one. Should i be worried or just let her grow out of it?

Mom Answers

There are plenty of children who talk late; however, you should ask your pediatrician. At my DDs two year check up, our ped suggested a speech evaluation. My DD was diagnosed later with a neurological condition that is not autism, but Sensory Processing Disorder. In my DDs case, it manifests itself like ADHD, making it impossible for her to sit still and focus on skills that take a quiet mind, like speech.
I am not suggesting that your DD has SPD or a mild autism spectrum like atypical autism, but if there is a speech delay, the earlier you can try to address it, the better. My DD is still in speech therapy every week even though she will be five this fall. Also, there are Early Intervention programs in every state ( some are called Birth to 3), that provide a free evaluation and often free speech therapy if your under 3 yr old child qualifies as having a delay.

My nephew didn't talk in clear sentences until he was four. Then he talked a blue streak with very clear Annunciation. He is not autistic, in fact he's very intelligent and probably border line genius. He scores high on all IQ tests. It never hurts to have a doctor check things out but most times it's absolutely nothing. She just isn't ready to talk yet. The fact she babbles in length is a great sign. We had this real worry with my son and my dad said to me one day after he'd babysat for me...for me to go in the bedroom and shut the door and really listen to what my son was saying. With the door shut for some reason I could make out every word. He was talking in complete sentences but maybe the pitch or tone or how fast he was "babbling" made it very difficult to make anything out. With the door shut it worked wonders, I have no idea why...but that's how it went.

My cousin's son started talking around 3 years. Before then he talked like a 1-year old. Anyway, there are plenty of children who talk later than what's considered "normal" without it being anything wrong, so just ask your doctor and see what they say.

well you must be really worried and concerned so here is my advice-... at two years old and still not talking is not normal... have you ever went over different words with her and tried to help her with word association?? if so then it is a sign of a mild form of autism... Autistic children take longer in brain function than normal... they understand you and know what you are saying or how you are feeling but they find it harder to express themselves because their brain isnt fully developed to the age their brain should be... go to your family doctor and see what he/she says... hope everything works out!

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